... the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve... (Matt.20:28)... Whosoever, therefore, shall HUMBLE himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt.18:4)
Ever since the fall of mankind pride and prejudice became the hallmark of life. Humans lost the divine quilibrium and gave way ton passion for pedigree, lust for power and the desire for material gain. Some felt as if God had taken a voluntary retirement from creation. While others supposed that He is like a sultan in His majesty and power, without any regard for the problems of His creation.
"Who is the greatest" (Luke 22:24)? A query that challenged the standard of success. The pharaohs of this world cried out, "Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?! The Nebuchadnezzar proudly asked, "Who is that God that can deliver you out of my hand?" Humans venerated creation as divine and gave birth to polytheism. The pompous Greeco-Romans, in the first century, interpreted humility and service, only in a derogatory sense. Even today, the trend continues! There are those who pride in their humility and use it judgementally in their relationships with those they regard as not humble. In the Biblical revelation the splendor of God is His humility (Luke 14:11) - a supreme virtue and service (Rom.15:31) as one of those seeming paradoxes (Matt.23:11).
Scripture presents many accounts of Jesus' role of a servant. One in which several powerful lessons are found in Serving, is the allegory of washing the road-dust of the feet of his learners (Jh.13:1-17). They were preoccupied with elements of precedence; as to who should be the greatest in the Kingdom and would be the closest to their Master (Luke 22:24). Feet-washing was below their dignity. While Jesus was contemplating on sharing about His journey to Golgotha, He sensed their attitude. He took off the robe of dignity and girdeed Himself with the towel of service. He stopped to define what was true greatness (Matt.18:4). He restored to an indelible and inevitable example (Jh.13:14-15), authenticating that service rendered in humility is a learned art and that had no affect on His position as the Son of god. It involved considerably more than a mere job description or attending a trade school or earning a degree from a seminary. It came through modeling God's character and altering that into His description.
In the present environment of individualism and spiritual anarchy; the art of serving seems unpleasant and inconvenient to the rational mind. It was not only the twelve who were plagued with an insecurity complex. the rivalry prevails even today, within the ecclesiastical domain. The towel and the basin has been theologized and traditionalized to the extend of jeopardizing its origional intent. The act is performed in several church services, as though it was the fufillment of the teaching of Jesus! His dramatization endorsed His leadership with a spirit of servanthood (1 Peter 5:5). This gave a vivid picture that leaders ought to take off the mantle of religious superiority and submit to God's authority. Prepared to be tailored into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29) and be transformed into His resemblance (2 Cor.3:18).
Today Jesus waits with the towel and the basin, to wipe away the dust and the dirt of all worldly excellence. The degree of expectation is probably far more than what was foreseen in the days of the twelve. He demand calls for an eradication of the professional-the outwardly religious and the status symbols intended to impress (Matt.10:39) and a transfiguration into the towel and the basin spirit in order to serve our fellow-countrymen, baptizing them into the blood of Calvary and turning them into burning firewood of the Spirit.
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